The cornerback has allowed two touchdown passes since 2013, and functions as quarterback on defense, given his knowledge of coverages. The Broncos received good news Monday after a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Harris’ bruised left shoulder.

“It went good. I should be ready to go,” said Harris, who has additional time to recover before the Broncos host a divisional game on Jan. 17.

Harris suffered the injury in Sunday’s 27-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field. Tight end Antonio Gates slammed into him on a passing play.

“It was a screen and Gates came out of nowhere and blindsided me,” Harris said Sunday night. “And my arm just went dead. He hit the right spo,t and my shoulder pads didn’t do a good job of blocking it. It’s a bruise. I will be back.”

For Harris, the playoffs represent an unfinished goal. He missed the AFC championship and Super Bowl in 2014 because of a knee injury, and the Indianapolis Colts knocked the Broncos out of the divisional round game last season, in part, because former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio elected not to have Harris cover slot receiver T.Y. Hilton.

The Broncos will play the worst remaining seed from the wild-card round this weekend. They enter as the top seed after claiming their fifth consecutive division title, matching the Oakland Raiders (1972-76) for the most consecutive AFC West crowns.

“Five straight AFC champs. That’s all I know. Since me and Von Miller walked into the building, we’ve been winning. Me and 58. That’s all we do is win the division,” said Harris, who is only one of five undrafted cornerbacks in league history to make multiple Pro Bowls with his original team. “This one was the hardest one of all of them. We had to go take it. They didn’t give it to us this year.”

Troy joined The Denver Post in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role before the 2015 season. He is a past president of the local chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America and has won more than 20 local and national writing awards since graduating from the University of Colorado journalism school with honors in 1993.